Rosa carolina, commonly known as the Carolina rose, pasture rose, or low rose, is a shrub in the rose family native to eastern North America, where it can be found in nearly all US states and Canadian provinces east of the Great Plains.

It is common throughout its range and can be found in a wide variety of open habitats, from thickets and open woods to roadsides and along railroads.

The stems have straight, needle-like thorns, which distinguishes it from very similar species such as R. palustris and R. virginiana, which have curved thorns. The fragrant flowers emerge in early summer and are light pink in color

Zantedeschia aethiopica (known as calla lily and arum lily) is a species in the family Araceae, native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland.

Calla lilies have long-petioled, basal leaves arising from a thick rhizome. The inflorescence, on a leafless flower stalk, consists of a spathe and spadix. The spathe, a large, flaring, trumpet-shaped bract, surrounds the spadix which is covered with tiny flowers.

Calla lilies average between 1 and 3 feet high and have a diameter of approximately 1 to 1 and 1/2 feet when fully grown. The Calla lily leaves are 1 1/2' long, rich green. The green leaves of the calla lily are shaped like arrowheads and have white or silver speckles..

Helianthus annuus

Sunflowers are usually tall annuals, that grow to a height of 50–400 centimetres (20–157 in).

The rough and hairy stem is branched in the upper part in wild plants but is usually unbranched in domesticated cultivars. The petiolate leaves are dentate and often sticky. The lower leaves are opposite, ovate or often heart-shaped. The upper leaves are alternate and narrower.

They bear one or several to many wide, terminal capitula (flower heads), with bright yellow ray florets at the outside and yellow or maroon (also known as a brown/red) disc florets inside. Several ornamental cultivars have red-colored ray florets; all of them stem from a single original mutant. During growth, sunflowers tilt during the day to face the sun, but stop once they begin blooming. This tracking of the sun in young sunflower heads is called heliotropism. By the time they are mature, sunflowers generally face east.

Helianthus annuus

Helianthus or sunflowers is a genus of plants comprising about 70 species in the family Asteraceae, all of which are native to North America except three species in South America. The common name, "sunflower," also applies to the popular annual species Helianthus annuus, the common sunflower. This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus), are cultivated in temperate regions as food crops and ornamental plants

Rosa carolina Leaf

Leaf on a Rosa carolina shrub about to emerge. Cooler weather and pruning have spurred additional growth in late summer.

Emerging Leaf

Leaf on a Rosa carolina shrub about to emerge. Cooler weather and pruning have spurred additional growth in late summer.

Rosa carolina

Rosa carolina, commonly known as the Carolina rose, pasture rose, or low rose, is a shrub in the rose family native to eastern North America, where it can be found in nearly all US states and Canadian provinces east of the Great Plains.

It is common throughout its range and can be found in a wide variety of open habitats, from thickets and open woods to roadsides and along railroads.

The stems have straight, needle-like thorns, which distinguishes it from very similar species such as R. palustris and R. virginiana, which have curved thorns. The fragrant flowers emerge in early summer and are light pink in color

Celosia spicata

Despite its African origin (a claim that is not without dispute), celosia is known as a foodstuff in Indonesia and India. Moreover, in the future it might become more widely eaten, especially in the hot and malnourished regions of the equatorial zone. In that regard, it has already been hailed as the often-wished-for vegetable that “grows like a weed without demanding all the tender loving care that other vegetables seem to need” says Martin Price of Florida. He continues "“Every place I have tried it, it grows with no work. We have had no disease problems and very little insect damage. It reseeds itself abundantly and new plants have come up in the immediate vicinity.”

Works well in humid areas and is the most-used leafy plant in Nigeria. It grows in the wet season and grows well while other plants succumb to mold and other diseases like mildew. Though a very simple plant, Celosia does need moderate soil moisture.

Hibiscus syriacus

Hibiscus syriacus is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Asia (though not, as Linnaeus thought, Syria, in spite of the name he gave it). Common names include Rose of Sharon (especially in North America), rose mallow (United Kingdom) and St Joseph's rod (Italy).

Hibiscus syriacus has been a garden shrub in Korea since time immemorial; its leaves were brewed into an herbal tea and its flowers are eaten. It was grown in Europe from the 16th century, though as late as 1629 John Parkinson thought it was tender and took great precautions with it, thinking it "would not suffer to be uncovered in the Winter time, or yet abroad in the Garden, but kept in a large pot or tubbe in the house or in a warme cellar, if you would have them to thrive." By the end of the 17th century, some knew it to be hardy: Gibson, describing Lord Arlington's London house noted six large earthen pots coddling the "tree hollyhock", as he called it, "that grows well enough in the ground". By the 18th century the shrub was common in English gardens and in the American colonies, known as Althea frutex and "Syrian ketmia".

Tithonia rotundifolia

Tithonia is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower tribe within the Asteraceae family.

Tithonia has a center of distribution in Mexico but with one species extending into the Southwestern United States and several native to Central America. Two species, T. diversifolia and T. rotundifolia, are widely cultivated and have escaped to become weeds in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. The distinguishing feature of the genus is the peduncle, which is fistulose (meaning hollow and flaring toward the apex). The plants are coarse annual or perennial herbs or shrubs, and one species, T. koelzii, is a small tree.

Tithonia is also referred to as ""Golden Flower of the Incas".

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as Chinese hibiscus, China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, and shoeblackplant, is a species of tropical hibiscus, a flowering plant in the Hibisceae tribe of the family Malvaceae, native to East Asia. It is the most widely used flower in laboratory experiments by scholars and universities to study floral characteristics.

The flower is complete (bisexual), actinomorphic, pentamerous, hypogynous, and solitary. It can bloom all year round.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was named by Carolus Linnaeus. The Latin term rosa-sinensis literally means "rose of China", though it is not closely related to the true roses.

The flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are edible and are used in salads in the Pacific Islands. The flower is additionally used in hair care as a preparation. It is also used to shine shoes in certain parts of India. It can also be used as a pH indicator. When used, the flower turns acidic solutions to a dark pink or magenta color and basic solutions to green.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is one of many plant species with a genetic characteristic known as polyploidy, in which there are more than two complete sets of chromosomes, unlike most other species. A side effect of polyploidy is a condition where the phenotype of the offspring may be quite different from the parent, or indeed any ancestor, essentially allowing possibly random expression of all (or any) of the characteristics of all the generations that have gone before. Because of this characteristic, H. rosa-sinensis has become popular with hobbyists who cross and recross varieties, creating new named varieties and holding competitions to exhibit and judge the many resulting new seedlings and often strikingly unique flowers..

Tip of the Leaf

This is a leaf of Hydrangea arborescens found commonly in the North Texas region.

Plumbago auriculata

Plumbago is a genus of 10-20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma).

The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of "crawlers" (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory.

Mature plumbago leaves often have a whitish residue on their undersides, a feature that can confuse gardeners. While this white material resembles a powdery mildew disease or a chemical spray deposit, it is actually a natural exudate from “chalk” glands that are found on the plumbago species.

Osteospermum ecklonis

Osteospermum the daisybushes is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Calenduleae, one of the smaller tribes of the sunflower/daisy family Asteraceae. The scientific name is derived from the Greek osteon (bone) and Latin spermum (seed). It has been given several common names: African daisy, South African daisy, Cape daisy and blue-eyed daisy.

There are about 50 species, native to Africa, 35 species in southern Africa, and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. They are half-hardy perennials or subshrubs. Therefore they do not survive outdoor wintry conditions, but there is still a wide range of hardiness.

Allamanda cathartica

Allamanda is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. They are native to the Americas, where they are distributed from Mexico to Argentina. Some species are familiar as ornamental plants cultivated for their large, colorful flowers. Most species produce yellow flowers. The genus name Allamanda honors the Swiss botanist and physician Frédéric-Louis Allamand (1735–1803).

Rosa

A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species and thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colors ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach seven meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in the development of the wide range of garden roses.

Hydrangea arborescens

Smooth hydrangea is widely distributed across the eastern United States—from southern New York to the panhandle of Florida, west to eastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas. It is mainly found in moist soils under a hardwood forest canopy and is often common along woodland road banks and streams. It is common in the Delaware River Valley and in the Appalachian Mountains.

The inflorescence of smooth hydrangea is a corymb. The showy, sterile flowers are usually absent or if present they are usually less than 1 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs May to July. Fruit is a ribbed brown capsule about 2 mm long; many are produced.

The leaves of smooth hydrangea are large (8 to 18 cm long), opposite, serrated, ovate, and deciduous. The lower leaf surface is glabrous or with inconspicuous fine hairs, appearing green; trichomes of the lower surface are restricted to the midrib and major veins.

The stem bark has a peculiar tendency to peel off in several successive thin layers with different colors, hence the common name "sevenbark".

Smooth hydrangea can spread rapidly by stolons to form colonies.

Rudbeckia fulgida

Rudbeckia fulgida (orange coneflower) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern North America.

In the garden, this plant spreads aggressively by both stoloniferous stems and seed. The seeds are produced in fruits called cypselae, which are 2.2 to 4 mm long and have short coroniform pappi, 0.2 mm long. The ripe seed is a favorite food of finches in winter.

This species of coneflower occurs in both dry and moist soils in open woods, glades and thickets. An upright, rhizomatous, clump-forming, free-blooming coneflower which typically grows to 3' tall, often forming colonies in the wild. Features daisy-like flowers (to 2.5" across) with yellow rays and brownish-purple center disks. Prolific bloom production over a long mid-summer to fall bloom period. Oblong to lanceolate, medium green foliage.

Calliandra haematocephala

Calliandra is a large genus of tropical plants that consists of about 200 species of small trees and evergreen, flowering shrubs. Calliandra haematocephala, commonly known as the Powder Puff Tree, is native to South America.

Calliandra haematocephala is a fast growing shrub that can grow tall but also spreads wide. If desired it can be kept smaller by trimming. Interesting enough the leaves close at night.

The red powder puff flower are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds but only appear from November -April. The buds before the flowers open look like raspberries. This large shrub can be grown indoor if trimmed and grown in a pot but it will be best if you can grow it outside in a
warm climate.

Brugmansia versicolor

Brugmansia versicolor is a species of plant in the Solanaceae family, commonly known as “Angel’s Trumpets”. They are endemic to Ecuador. Since March 2014, they have been listed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN.

Brugmansia versicolor is a bush or small tree reaching 3.0–4.9 m (10–16 ft) in height. It has an alternate insertion of elliptic/oblong leaves that are entire with smooth edges. One of the most prominent characteristics of B. versicolor is the presence of giant drooping flowers which hang upside down, which is where it gets its common name of Angel's Trumpet. The flowers are the largest of all Brugmansia at 300–510 mm (12–20 in) in length. They open first white, but then may age to turn peach, pink, apricot or remain white.

According to Dr. Russell, of North Carolina State University, Brugmansia versicolor is exceptionally poisonous if ingested in large quantities. It contains various alkaloids that have toxic properties which affect the mind and body. Some of these alkaloids include atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. No matter if swallowed or inhaled, the flowers, leaves, and seeds of Brugmansia will most likely cause symptoms of hallucinations, dry mouth, muscle weakness, increased blood pressure, increased pulse, fever, dilated pupils, and paralysis.

Brugmansia versicolor is a hermaphrodite that reproduces perennially. It has long, narrow, fusiform berries that are up to 21 cm (8.3 in) in length. Brugmansia reproduce by the production of seeds. The major pollinators are thought to be various species of insects, though this has yet to be proven.

Hemerocallis

'Red Magic' is a diploid cultivar which features 5-inch diameter red flowers with lemon throats on naked stems (scapes) typically rising to 36" tall above a clump of arching, linear, blade-like leaves. Individual flowers open for one day. Blooms early to mid-season (June-July).

Daylilies are perennial plants, whose name alludes to the flowers which typically last no more than 24 hours. The flowers of most species open in early morning and wither during the following night, possibly replaced by another one on the same scape (flower stalk) the next day. Some species are night-blooming. Daylilies are not commonly used as cut flowers for formal flower arranging, yet they make good cut flowers otherwise as new flowers continue to open on cut stems over several days.

Hemerocallis is native to Eurasia, including China, Korea, and Japan, and this genus is popular worldwide because of the showy flowers and hardiness of many kinds. There are over 60,000 registered cultivars. Hundreds of cultivars have fragrant flowers, and more scented cultivars are appearing more frequently in northern hybridization programs. Some cultivars rebloom later in the season, particularly if their capsules, in which seeds are developing, are removed.

A normal, single daylily flower has three petals and three sepals, collectively called tepals, each with a midrib in either the same or a contrasting color. The centermost part of the flower, called the throat, usually is of a different color than the more distal areas of the tepals. Each flower usually has six stamens, each with a two-lobed anther. After successful pollination, a flower forms a capsule (often erroneously called a pod).